SACRANIE: Yes. That is -- I understand that, what you're saying, that, you know, in Afghanistan and that they have this vision.

What difference is it that France is putting on us right now? Regarding my product or anybody else's product in France. So I don't see why they're

banning this product. There is nothing wrong with it. It's just a two- piece garment which is allowing women to be liberal, to integrate in society and, you know, enjoy the beach and enjoy the water.

AMANPOUR: Let's see it, because you brought it in. You're one of the earliest designers of the burqini. And in fact, I think you designed one

for Nigella Lawson, who is not a Muslim, very western.

SACRANIE: Yes.

AMANPOUR: And quite revealing in many of her clothes, but she wanted it for what reason?

SACRANIE: Nigella Lawson wore my product because she's a very pale skinned -- that's what she wore it for.

(CROSSTALK)

AMANPOUR: You mean, to protect herself from the fierce sun.

SACRANIE: Yes, protect herself from the sun. And she has a history of, you know, cancer in her family. So, therefore, this is the reason why she

wore it, because she didn't want to show off her bits and bumps on the beach, especially most important thing was to protect her from the sun.

AMANPOUR: And, you know, it's obviously erupted now, this backlash, this sort of controversy over the burqini because of what we're seeing happening

in France in terms of it being banned.

But these so-called modesty garments have been rocketing in their sales for the last several years.

I mean, why did you start your business to begin with?

[14:20:00] I started my business, and why I designed this concept and why I put it together, it was for my personal use. When I actually wanted to

cover, when I was, you know, not happy wearing the leggings and the T- shirts, which is a health and safety issue, it was dragging me down. It wasn't allowing me to be free in the water the way I wanted it.

AMANPOUR: But this is -- isn't this leggings and things as well?

SACRANIE: Yes. If you have a look at this product, this is made out of the finest materials, OK? This allows you to swim comfortably without

dragging you down. These are approved products. These are multi-award winning product, and this is why it's got the UV protection on it, it's got

sea salt resistant on it, it's got the chlorine-resistant on it and it's got the water-resistant on it so it stops you from dragging. It stops that

--

AMANPOUR: You mean, most Muslim women would have to go in with their full hijabs and chadors, is that what you're saying.

SACRANIE: That's their personal choice if they wanted to. But now I have given them an option that they don't have to cover, that they have to go

into the pool, or they don't have to go on the beach with their burqa and not being able to enjoy the water like everybody else does.

AMANPOUR: So as you know, there have been lots of pictures of fully clad nuns in their habits that have been tweeted around in the midst of this

crisis, in the midst of this controversy. And people are saying if nuns can go in the water fully-clothed in their religious garb, why shouldn't

Muslim women we able to do it.

SACRANIE: Of course.

AMANPOUR: But do you accept the fact that this is happening in France, where in the name of a perverted vision of Islam, people have been

barrelling into ordinary people with vehicles, with guns, I mean, basically slaughtering civilians. And this is coming at a time of amazing

sensitivity in France.

Can you understand their reaction to this on the beach, especially in Nice?

SACRANIE: I can understand their reaction, but at no point does -- how can you associate a burqini with somebody behaving like this. I don't

understand.

I'm not condoning that what they're doing or what's happened in France. You know, it's absolutely wrong, that's 100 percent. But what is a two-

piece garment going to do or harm anybody else?

You know, like what I've been told before, that, oh, this is extremists and, you know, this is offending people on the beach.

Why is it offending them? What is it that is offending them? You know, we should be able to wear what we want and, you know, we shouldn't have -- I

don't think anybody should have a problem.

AMANPOUR: Many men or some have tweeted pictures of them in full wetsuits, which some of them wear on the beach and next to this -- you know, asking

what's the difference if a man wears a wetsuit or a woman wears a burqini.

What do you think is going to happen if this ban is enforced? In other words, you know, even if people are uncomfortable with women wearing this

on the beach, what will a ban, do you think, have -- what will the result be?

SACRANIE: I think what's happened -- obviously, it's not been taken nicely. People are not happy with this ban. And as women, we have been

fighting for 100 years for liberation, equality in order to be able to have the equality, even after 100 years, we are still fighting. And, you know,

France is taking us all the way back again. We are still fighting to be equal in pay, equal in society and everything. And now we are told what we

can wear, what we can't wear. Where is the freedom of choice, you know?

AMANPOUR: It is so interesting because this is a crazy dilemma for liberals who believe in the freedom that you're talking about, but also

many of them believe that this garment is actually anti-freedom because it's forced on them in so many cases.

SACRANIE: Then why are the women that are not practicing, why are the women that are not Muslim wearing them? Why are they choosing that?

Is somebody forcing them? Is somebody oppressing them? No. It's a freedom of choice. Not everybody wants to show their bits and bumps.

Everybody wants to enjoy and everybody should have their right to enjoy it. That's what I think.